Assisi also has been built on a hill, the Asio. At its top lies the Rocca Maggiore fortress, below the town of about 25,000 inhabitants. All buildings are constructed in the same style and with the use of limestone.

This is really the busiest place so far on my journey. Besides Italian day-trippers, there are also buses full of schoolchildren, Polish and Chinese. Are they tourists or pilgrims? Assisi is a pilgrimage site because of Saint Francis. This poor little man founded a brotherhood focused on poverty, simplicity and charity. Nuns and monks are a common sight on the streets (clothed in gray, black and brown). But there are also plenty of souvenir shops to satisfy the tourist category.

I start my visit at the Santa Chiara Church. It is named after Clara, the companion of Francis. The ceiling of this church is completely painted with frescoes. Also, there are wooden crosses with images of Christ. In the very colorful crypt below stands her tomb. There are also relics to see of Clara (clothing and hair).

In the center of Assisi is the Piazza del Commune, the central square. It houses the Temple of Minerva from the 1st century BC. This was a Roman temple, but since the 13th century has become a church too. On the other side of the square is the town hall (Palazzo del Podesta) with frescoes on the ceiling over its gateway.

I finish my round at the St. Francis Basilica. It dates from 1253. It is a huge construction built on a rocky point on the edge of the city. Actually, there are two church buildings on top of each other. The upper church is light and large, filled with medieval frescoes on the life of Francis by famous Italian painters like Giotto. The lower church is dark but has also had its walls painted almost completely.

The simple stone tomb of St. Francis stands in a crypt below the lower church. The atmosphere here is very serene and dark. There are believers who kneel to pray. The simplicity of this grave fits his life and views, but is in sharp contrast with the pomp and circumstance that is built around it. Francis probably has therefore already turned around in this grave many times.